The debate around the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) continues to rage in the US, with the Electronic Frontier Foundation the latest campaigning body to weigh in with its views. It’s firmly against the proposed legislation, attacking claims by the US Chamber of Commerce that the Act is not a blacklist, with that term having been removed since earlier versions.
“Provisions that encourage unofficial blacklisting remained, and they are still alive and well in SOPA,” claims the EFF on its site. “First, the new law would allow the Attorney General to cut off sites from the Internet, essentially ‘blacklisting’ companies from doing business on the web… Second, the bill encourages private corporations to create a literal target list–a process that is ripe for abuse”. It also points to the Act’s provisions for payment processors to cut websites off voluntarily, even if they haven’t received a notice. “The potential for rampant abuse is obvious–whether it’s a frivolous claim that wouldn’t withstand the scrutiny of the official process or an attempt to put an emerging competitor at an extreme disadvantage.”
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